Max Beckmann
, German, 1844-1950
Title
"Liebespaar I"Date1916
MediumDrypoint etching on cream machine made laid paper
Dimensions
Sheet: 29.5 × 36.5 cm
Plate: 23.5 × 29.5 cm
Credit LinePurchased, 2021
Object numberNGI.2021.113
DescriptionLiebespaar I (Lovers I) is a drypoint etching on cream machine made laid paper. It is from an edition of 60 on this paper. The print is sheet 4 from Max Beckmann’s portfolio Gesichter (Faces). This portfolio was published by Verlag der Marées Gesellschaft, R. Piper & Co., Munich, in 1919, with the drystamp (Lugt 5629). Most of Beckmann’s prints were issued by Germany’s principal dealer-publishers including Paul Cassirer and J. B. Neumann, in Berlin, and Reinhard Piper, in Munich. The nineteen prints in Beckmann's portfolio Gesichter (Faces) do not present a narrative sequence but instead reveal flashes of life at different moments. Rendered in various sizes and formats and featuring a range of subjects, the images reflect the assorted character of human existence. Throughout the series, Beckmann exaggerated facial features, distorted space, and took full advantage of the scratchy texture of drypoint lines for expressive effect.Inscriptionon verso, lower right: 165/XXXVI
ProvenanceGalerie Wolfgang Ketterer, Munich, Auction 36, 20th Century Art (26 November 1979), Lot 165; Private Collection, Bavaria, Karl & Faber, Munich, Auction 303, Modern Art (14 July 2021), Lot 717; Purchased, 2021